United Nations

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Security Council Resolution 1718 imposing sanctions on North Korea is a "balanced" resolution. States should implement the resolution in a "balanced" way and should not try to expand the sanctions arbitrarily, he said.

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Law of the Sea -- Marine Pollution

China's top environmental watchdog, the State Environmental Protection Administration, has clashed publicly with the State Oceanic Administration over pollution controls on the Bohai Sea. SEPA, who gave a more upbeat assessment, dismissed SOA's dismal report as a view "published in their owen interest".

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United Nations

China has begun inspecting cargo at its border with North Korea for weapons, a sign that China may do its part in enforcing the Security Council resolution punishing Pyongyang for its nuclear programme.

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Use of Force
United Nations

The UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to impose sanctions on North Korea for its reported nuclear test, including a clause that authorizes all countries to inspect cargo going in and out of North Korea to detect illicit weapons. China's ambassador to the UN, Wang Guangya, said China would not participate in the inspection regime because it would create "conflict that could have serious implications for the region." In response, the US ambassador, John R. Bolton, insisted that China was bound by the resolution's terms and would have to find a way to comply with the inspection provision. "I can't believe that China won't adhere to obligations that the Security Council has imposed," he said.

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Human Rights -- Labour Rights

China is proposing a new labour law that would improve worker protection and give the state-controlled union greater power through new collective-bargaining rights or pursuing worker grievances and establishing work rules. The draft law has been resisted by American and other foreign corporations.

Use of Force

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated that China opposes any military action to resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. Meanwhile, in the Security Council negotiations, China opposed a US draft resolution that would allow nations to inspect cargo to and from North Korea. Responding to China and Russia's concerns over reference to Chapter VII in the draft resolution, US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton protested as "simply incorrect" the interpretation that Chapter VII sets a pretext for military force. "It would require a separate resolution, if one were needed, to authorize force," he said.

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Law of the Sea -- Marine Pollution

A senior official of the State Oceanic Administration said 140,000 square kilometers of China's coastal waters are polluted and the coastal eco-system has been seriously degraded.

Use of Force
United Nations

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said China is resolutely opposed to solving the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue by means of war. He said any UN action should take into account the humanitarian needs of the North Korean people. Meanwhile, China's UN ambassador Wang Guangya said the Security Council must give a "firm, constructive, appropriate but prudent response" to North Korea. "I think there has to be some punitive actions but also I think these actions have to be appropriate," he said.

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United Nations

China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN said that China is against proposals that deviate from the principle of capacity to pay UN expenses and is ready to make an even greater contribution to the body on the basis of this principle. He said the UN is not a rich men's club and China objected to the concept of "responsibility to pay" and the setting up of a minimum assessment rate for permanent members of the Security Council. China's financial contribution to the UN has increased by 107% in the past four years.

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International River

China and Russia completed the inspection of water quality in the border rivers between the two countries. The inspection showed that the water quality of Amur and Ussuri Rivers was not too bad, which helped reduce the Russian side's "misunderstanding" of China's efforts for border river protection.

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Law of War -- Nuclear Weapons

Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the Chinese government is resolutely opposed to the nuclear test by North Korea. The statement said China strongly demands the DPRK live up to its commitment to non-nuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, stop any activity that may worsen the situation and return to the six-party talks.

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Diplomatic Protection

A Chinese consular official has written a number of times to the Supreme Court of Tennessee in regard to the custody battle over Anna Mae. The official urged the court to decide the case justly and restore the parental rights of the Chinese nationals.

Nationality

The Canadian government is considering changes in dual citizenship rights. As a result, about 250,000 Canadian passport-holders in Hong Kong may have to give up their Chinese nationality in order to remain Canadian citizens.

Human Rights

A Health Ministry spokesman denied a foreign media report that organs of executed prisoners are being traded in China. China is the world's second largest performer of organ transplants with 20,000 operations a year.

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Trade

A Ministry of Commerce spokesman said China was dissatisfied with the approval of anti-dumping duties on Chinese shoes by EU countries. He said the EU measures "lack legal and factual basis and will damage the legitimate rights of Chinese shoe enterprises."

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Trade

A free trade agreement between China and Chile came into effect, which is expected to eventually exempt 97 percent of all trade goods from import tariffs. Chile is the first Latin American country to sign a free trade agreement with China.